That's right. Regis refused his family's generous compensation offer.
'Money is not needed. Instead…'
A cup of blood, drawn from Irel. That was the price Regis wanted. This made Michael completely change his mind.
How do we know what that person will do with the blood taken from Irel? What if he knows how to use an ancient curse, and does something bad to Irel?
If he had to believe either one, Michael of course believed his relative Irel, not an unknown Linguist. At least, that was Michael's decision. But the parents' thoughts seem a bit different.
'Just a cup of blood can save Irel's life.'
Living longer, they know through experience how important marriage is and how it can completely turn a person's life upside down.
It is a thorny road that has been predicted. The path leads to a fire pit that could shorten her already short lifespan. Parents cannot stand by and watch their daughter go into that hell on earth.
Therefore, it was natural for Calver to become furious when Michael cautiously intervened.
"She's your sister, Michael!! Precious family, our only youngest daughter!!"
…What to do now? That only youngest daughter was standing in the middle of the door, in a dilemma.
‘It seems they are arguing because of me.’
Irel broke into a cold sweat, looking at Calver and Michael arguing fiercely. Then she accidentally moved her eyes and saw Louisa standing behind her, observing the argument between father and daughter.
"Mom!"
The joy made her cry out uncontrollably. Louisa heard the voice in the chaos, opened her eyes wide, and turned around.
“Rell, my darling daughter!”
As expected, the mother is strong. Louisa jumped up, pushed the two men aside and quickly approached. She hugged Irel with trembling, nurturing hands.
"You naughty shrew. Do you know how much I worry about you? Leave home without permission!"
Her thin arms hugged Irel tightly, then patted her shoulders and back, then hugged her again. Being held in those arms, Irel felt choked up and softly sniffled in response.
"I'm sorry, mom. I really miss you."
"I also... I miss my princess too. Are you sick anywhere?"
Tears also began to fall from Louisa's eyes. Irel felt heartbroken when she saw that, but in order not to lose this kind mother, she had to keep her spirits up right now.
"Of course not. He treats me very well."
Varkan's appearance in Irel's words immediately made the surrounding atmosphere quiet. She had prepared herself for the coming opposition, but her family had no particular reaction when they heard Varkan's name.
“First, sit down.”
Calver cleared his throat, using an awkward but gentle voice to invite her to sit.
"This is an important matter. We need to talk calmly and slowly. Do you think that's right?"
He could yell at his son, but in front of his daughter, he didn't dare glare. He was afraid that his weak youngest daughter would be scared.
Not knowing if Calver knew what she was thinking or not, Irel blinked. The light blue eyes she inherited from her grandmother sparkled with confusion, but she still obediently did as he asked.
"…Yes."
Unlike the argument at the door, her family seemed to have no intention of immediately mentioning marriage. Irel, who had prepared everything, felt disappointed, but on the other hand she also felt happy. She didn't want to immediately argue with the family she had just met after many days of separation.
'Right. Eat your fill and talk later.'
As soon as she sat down, the menu was naturally given to her first. This small but warm act of concern made her gently bite her lip. Then she asked her family in a voice trying to be bright.
“Have you ordered your food yet?”
"Not yet."
“Parents will wait for you to arrive and then call.”
…It's difficult. It's hard to deal with these people.
With a heavy heart, Irel chose dishes from the menu that suited her taste. Luckily, this Eastern Continent restaurant has quite a few dishes to stimulate her taste buds.
"The food has arrived. Hope you have a delicious meal."
The waitress still covered her eyes with a red silk ribbon, and friendly brought the food up. The dining table is filled with steaming delicious seafood dishes.
Sweet cereal tea and white porridge ground with pine nuts, pork meatballs soaked in shiitake mushrooms and figs, seafood steamed with spicy soft-boiled eggs, grilled large cod with scallops, and braised beef ribs with herbs. Seeing everything, Irel unconsciously exclaimed in her heart.
‘Wow.’
She is hungry. Furthermore, the relief of not having to argue with her family immediately increased her appetite.
The stomach, accustomed to bread, soup and cheese, is now willing to accept oriental-style dishes. The whole family also praised the deliciousness and ate happily, making the meal even more delicious.
“Well, the first time I drank bamboo wine, it smelled great.”
"The aftertaste is also elegant. The slightly sweet taste goes well with spicy soup."
"Rell, daughter. You should try it too."
Taking advantage of the good mood, Irel also agreed to try the bamboo wine that the family was drinking. Not daring to judge the strength of the wine, she just sipped it little by little, drinking a few cups.
Bamboo leaf wine has a cool, refreshing taste but is quite heavy. Even though she didn't drink much, her ears began to burn, signaling that drunkenness was coming.
‘Dead. We have to be alert to talk about marriage...'
Irel suddenly realized it was too late. But because her stomach was full, her eyes kept drooping.
“Haam.”
She tried to hold back but in the end she still let out a small yawn. Irel shook his head, trying to stay awake. However, the waitress brought a new bottle of wine and poured another cup.
"How does this taste? This is the highest quality brewed wine that our restaurant is proud of."
Block.
The strong smell of alcohol rose from the cup being filled with a clear sound. Irel thought that if she drank any more it would be really dangerous, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and shook her head.
“I'm enough.”
Right at that moment. The waitress's lips, with only her chin exposed, moved strangely.
—Don't refuse, just taste it a little more.
…Huh?
The moment she heard that voice, a chill ran down her spine. I don't know if it was her feeling, but it seemed like that voice didn't come from her mouth but echoed in her head.
‘Am I too drunk? We have to stop drinking.'
Irel thinks so. But her hand automatically moved towards the cup of wine in front of her, regardless of her will. She tried to hold her arm tightly, but to no avail.
The hand clutching the wine cup finally slowly moved towards her mouth. Having experienced this situation once, Irel suddenly suspected one person.
‘Mirdal?’
Is he here? Remembering Masaka Mirdal, who controlled others with his shadow, Irel looked around. But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a single hair of his.
'Moreover, he hasn't fully healed from his wound yet.'
The face of him struggling with death after being bitten by the poisonous snake that Ryu Cheong transformed appeared in her mind. No matter how reckless Mirdal was, she didn't think he would come and rob Varkan's Receiver while his body had not yet recovered.
So who is it? While confused, Irel tried to raise her other hand to stop the cup of wine that was approaching her lips. But in the end, that hand betrayed her, gently grasping the wine cup.
"What, what is this? Why is that...?"
As soon as her surprised voice came out, the family's eyes simultaneously turned to her. But it's strange. The people who always noticed when she had a little problem were now silent, their faces full of awkwardness.
It's as if they're covering up this situation.
“I'm sorry, daughter.”
Louisa's sad voice was like the last stab of a knife.
“But it's all for your good.”
Immediately, the wine flowed clear
gulp
flows down the lips. It felt like her body was paralyzed everywhere the liquid flowing through her esophagus reached.
Irel trembled, her eyes almost turned upside down, then dropped the wine cup. She fell onto the soft cushioned floor.
Before she completely closed her eyes, the image of the waitress pouring wine flashed across her vision. She still covered her eyes with silk and red cloth, as if it were some mystical Eastern custom.
But from his position on the floor, Irel could see clearly. The waitress's eyes were smiling down at her.
‘Eyes… red.’
No way. Red eyes are a characteristic unique to Kitan.
Creature of malice, born from the Evil God Abihshan. Signs of monsters that eat human flesh and blood. It was alive and shining in the waitress's eyes.